In the manufacture of contact lenses, contact lenses are inspected for defects to reduce the possibility that defective lenses are distributed to contact lens wearers. A manufacturer typically determines the number of defects, or the types of defects, or both that will cause a contact lens to be rejected and discarded before distribution to a lens wearer. Unrejected lenses are passed and packaged for distribution.
Contact lens inspection can be performed manually by having a person inspect a magnified image of the contact lens prior to packaging. Contact lens inspection can be performed in an automated manner using one or more computerized devices and systems and software. Some contact lens inspection systems inspect contact lenses in a dry state, that is when the lens is not located in a volume of liquid, and some contact lens inspection systems inspect contact lenses in a wet state, that is when the contact lens is located in a volume of liquid. Automated systems and methods often involve one or more cameras that take an image or images of illuminated contact lenses that have been illuminated by one or more light sources. The images are processed by one or more computers to determine if the tenses have defects.